About the Project
Heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems account for a significant proportion of the total energy consumption of modern vehicles. The Group were tasked with improving the airflow within the ducts and diffusers while maintaining high levels of passenger thermal comfort using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).
Work undertaken
Original Design
The first stage was to analyse the existing design as laid out by the manufacturer. Air velocity, temperature distribution and passenger thermal comfort was analysed and the Group determined areas for possible improvement.
Retrofit Designs
The Group then generated retrofittable concepts which would improve the airflow and temperature distribution of the bus' upper saloon. This was done in order to allow the manufacturer to apply these improvements to already existing buses.
Redesigns
The Group also generated concepts which would require more in-depth integration into the design of the bus, but would ultimately provide the bus manufacturer with efficient, well-designed HVAC ducts and diffusers to effect many benefits.